The Human Job
by theflockroxmysox
Summary: The team has received possibly their hardest case yet - they've been hired to infiltrate a human trafficking ring, save a young girl from the innermost circle, and shut down the operation once and for all. Eliot/Kylie.
1. Sunday Mornings

**I'm back! Finally, after finishing my Psych story (:**

**If you haven't read my previous story, And Everything In Between, you may want to. That's where I introduce Kylie. So, recap from And Everything In Between – Eliot met Kylie, but then Kylie found out he was a criminal when Eliot had to save Nate in the middle of one of their dates. Then Eliot was held hostage, and the team had to call Kylie to help save him. At the end, Kylie asks Eliot if she can join the team, and he says yes.**

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "What, you thought she was dressed like a nun for no reason?" ~ Nate**

**-O-**

**Chapter 1**

**Sunday Mornings**

Eliot woke to the blinding rays of morning sunlight as the curtains on his window were thrown open. He groaned and blinked his eyes open, ready to throw his hands in the air to block any punches from whoever had invaded his room. There was a laugh, and Eliot realized it was Kylie, standing over his bed with a wide grin on her face. Her hair was already perfectly styled in a neat, wavy half-ponytail, her brown draping blouse and sky blue jeans clinging to her body with a sort of freshness – as though she had just recently put them on.

"What're you doing here?" Eliot muttered, his voice still clogged with sleep. He sat up, grabbing a plain gray t-shirt from the pile of newly-washed clothes on the floor next to his bed, and slipped it on.

"I thought we could go out to breakfast this morning," she answered, looking hopeful. "Sorry if I startled you."

Eliot shook his head, standing up and shoving his cell phone in his pocket. Nate was supposed to be meeting with a new client this afternoon, and he had wanted Kylie to be there with him. But, seeing as it was only seven in the morning, Eliot guessed they had some time to kill.

The restaurant wasn't crowded, but that was mostly due to the fact that it was still early for most people to be up on a Sunday morning. Kylie didn't hesitate as she headed to a booth by the window, a big green and blue abstract-shaped lamp hanging over it.

"I used to come here all the time with my sister," Kylie explained as they sat on the plush, light turquoise-colored seats. "We'd sit at this table and try to guess what shape the lamp made," she laughed lightly. "I'd always insist it was a seahorse, but she'd always say it was a tulip, just beginning to bloom."

The waitress came over and took their orders – an egg and cheese omelet for Kylie and a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich for Eliot. They talked as they ate, Kylie about her life before meeting the retrieval specialist, Eliot about the different clients they'd had and the different jobs he'd had on the cons. Eliot marveled at the fact that, only two weeks ago, Kylie had been scared of him and his secret, and now here they were, eating breakfast together and laughing at each other's stories.

-O-

Eliot spotted Nate as soon as they walked into McRory's pub. He was sitting alone at a booth in the far corner, sipping out of a champagne glass. Eliot walked Kylie over, watching apprehensively as Nate gestured for her to sit next to him. Noticing his expression, Kylie smiled up at Eliot and reassured him that she'd be fine.

"It's not you I'm worried about," Eliot said, eyeing Nate one last time before walking away.

Sophie had been watching from the bar counter, and it was her turn to smile as Eliot joined her.

"She's a nice girl," Sophie commented as the hitter took the empty barstool next to her.

"Yeah," Eliot agreed. "That's what I'm worried about," he flagged down the bartender, ordering a beer.

The door to the pub opened, and the client walked in. At least, Eliot assumed he was the client from the way he walked straight over to Nate's booth. He looked to be in his late forties, his short, well-kempt hair just beginning to gray. Dark circles under his eyes made him look weary and haggard. His gray jacket was wrinkled, as though it had been resting on the floor previously.

Eliot watched as he took the seat opposite Nate and Kylie. He wished he could be over there, with Kylie, as she heard this man's story. He'd been in her position before, and it was always hard, hearing about all of the wrong-doings of the world. And if it had been difficult for him, he couldn't imagine how she would take it. He was surprised to see her take the man's hand in hers in a comforting gesture. It was obvious from Nate's raised eyebrows that he hadn't expected it either.

Finally, the man left. Kylie exchanged a few words with Nate, and rose. For the first time since she'd sat down, Eliot got a clear look at the expression on her face. It was a sad frown, her eyebrows slightly knotted together as her eyes sparkled in the artificial light. He was vaguely aware of Sophie leaving her barstool to give them privacy.

"That was harder than I thought it was going to be," she said, standing next to him.

He reached out a hand and pulled her towards him in a one-armed hug. "No one said it was going to be easy."

She sighed, resting her hand on his. "No one said it was going to be this hard, either."

**-O-**

**That was a short chapter, but it was only meant to be an intro. Oh, and that green button down there could use some clicking (:**


	2. Monday Afternoons

**So, to tell you the truth, I don't really have much of a set plan for this story, it's just mostly supposed to introduce Kylie as a person. So if I don't update for a few days, it's probably because I'm trying to work out what I want to happen. Oh, and by the way, this takes place when they still use the couches in front of the monitors instead of the counter. I've always liked the couches better. **

**Leverage Quote of the Day: "**_**SKRULL! Skrull!**_** Get it right. Super…Super…Super-Skrull. Who has the combined powers of the Fantastic Four. One of whom is **_**not**_** Itzhak Perlman!" ~ Hardison**

**-O-**

**Chapter 2**

**Monday Afternoons**

Nate's apartment seemed a little bit more crowded than usual the next day, but that may have had something to do with the fact that, well, it was. This was Kylie's first _official_ job.

Eliot sat next to her on the plush couch, his arm tossed casually over her shoulder. He smirked whenever he caught Hardison's eye – the hacker had been glaring at him ever since he'd walked in this morning. Naturally, he was jealous and most likely thinking about Parker, but he would never admit that. Parker sat next to Eliot, despite his complaints that she'd scare off Kylie. Sophie was the only one not speaking. Eventually Nate got them to quiet down, and nodded to Hardison to begin.

"Thank you. Now, our client's name is Paul Hartman. He _was_ a salesman, until he was let go from his company three weeks ago. He lives with his twenty-year-old daughter, Nicole. Now," he hesitated, and Nate immediately took over.

"His daughter received a call on her cell phone about a week ago, and whatever was said apparently convinced her to pack up her bags, and head to the airport. Now Mr. Hartman claims that Nicole never made it to the airport. He claims that she'd been acting strangely lately, and he'd caught her talking to the same guy several times over the past month – ever since he lost his job."

"This sounds like a case for the police. Why didn't he just go to them?" Parker asked.

"He did, but since she left of her own free will, they can't do anything."

"Okay, well, do we even know who this guy she was talking to is?" Sophie asked, glancing from Nate to Hardison.

The hacker hesitated. "Well, not exactly…"

"What do you mean, not exactly?" Eliot growled.

"Mr. Hartman said he didn't know his name. But I'm assuming, whoever it was, he was the one on the phone with Nicole. Now, I've been trying to trace her last phone call, but so far…" he trailed off as a none-too-subtle beep sounded from his laptop. He typed into the keyboard for a moment, and the monitors flashed to life. "Bingo," he traced something on the touch pad of the laptop, the monitors mirroring his movements. "Aw, hell no!"

"What?" Nate looked up.

"Found our guy. Guess who he is? Victor Gusev."

Eliot muffled a curse. Of course it would be him. Of course it would be him they had to deal with on Kylie's first job. He looked around, realizing all of the others had shown the same reaction to the name.

"Gusev?" Parker sat up. "That thief… he stole a painting from me! Right out from under my nose!"

"Yeah, yeah. He blew the whistle on a grift of mine, and _then _he ended up getting the payday!" Sophie exclaimed, glaring at the picture of him that had appeared on the monitors. He wasn't exactly young, with his gray-at-the-roots hair and slightly rounded features. Small crows feet were etched into his skin, and he looked as though he was squinting in bright sunlight.

"I nearly caught him in Barcelona," Nate offered.

"I had to change my name, _again_, because of him," Eliot added. Kylie shot him a look.

"What about you, Hardison?" Nate asked, looking up at the hacker, who was about to break out in a nervous sweat. "Surely you must have… crossed paths with Gusev at one time or another."

Hardison swallowed. "I-I may have accidentally hacked into his personal computer. Which can only be accessed from his office."

"Did you get caught?" Nate asked.

"He finished his lunch ten minutes early. I pulled a Parker."

Sophie grimaced in overly-dramatic sympathy.

"Okay," Nate rubbed his hand together. "Looks like this is going to be harder than we thought. There's only one person in this room that he's never laid eyes on," he gaze fell on Kylie.

Eliot jumped up. "No. No way," Nate raised his eyebrows. "Nate, she's not ready!"

"Hey," Kylie stood, grabbing his hand. "El, calm down. If Nate thinks it's our best shot, I'm game."

"El?" Parker mouthed.

Eliot shook his hand free from Kylie's grasp. He stared at Nate, an unspoken conversation passing between them. Nate knew full well what they were getting into here. He knew how dangerous the job could turn out to be. And if it went south, well, Eliot would never forgive Nate. So Nate nodded at Eliot, making an unspoken promise to keep her safe. Kylie might not have been family, like the rest of them, but Eliot loved her, and so they all had the shared duty of watching over her.

"Fine," Eliot muttered at last.

"Okay," Nate nodded, and then glanced at Hardison. "Run it."

Hardison's gaze flicked from Nate, to Eliot, to Kylie, and back again. Shrugging, he turned to the monitors. "Victor Guzev. Master thief, forger, money launderer, basically every money-making scheme in the book, and even some not. You name it, this guy'll get it for you. If he doesn't kill you first. He's got a rep for having a very short temper. He's been convicted of several things, but the charges were always dropped because there wasn't enough evidence. His most recent conviction was one year ago. He was suspected of weapon selling, but again, never convicted. What he has to do with Nicole Hartman, I have no idea."

Nate moved from around the couch. "Well then I guess it's time to find out."

**-O-**

**Reviews are always welcomed (:**


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